SUPER BOWL XL

Calming down

Coach Mike Holmgren, once a disciple of discipline, is mellower with the Seahawks.

By JOANNE KORTH
Published February 4, 2006

DETROIT - Brett Favre was a three-time league MVP coming off consecutive Super Bowls, but coach Mike Holmgren didn't care. He wanted the play run right.

Every time.

So, Holmgren let Favre have it.

"Brett was a very likable guy and he'd jump Brett, I think, to fire the team up," said Matt Hasselbeck, a rookie on the Green Bay practice squad in 1998. "We were like, "Hey, we're not going to let him jump the quarterback. We're all going to pick it up. It's not really his fault.' He's a good motivator that way."

And in new ways, too.

On Sunday, Holmgren can become the first coach to win Super Bowl titles with different teams when his Seahawks play the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. If successful, it just might be because Holmgren has learned to reach his players using gentler methods.

He rewards them.

He trusts them.

And he doesn't yell at them - as much.

"His style of coaching us this year has been so good for us because he stepped back and looked at how the team is made, at our chemistry," running back and league MVP Shaun Alexander said. "He fit himself into our chemistry.

"He could bark or he could smile. He could be the disciplinarian or the freelancer. He did a great job getting us prepared every week and letting us self-discipline at times and bringing down the hammer when it was needed. That's when you know you've got a good coach."

Holmgren, 57, has long been considered a good coach, his forte developing quarterbacks.

Early in his career, Holmgren worked with Joe Montana and Steve Young as a 49ers assistant to Bill Walsh and George Seifert. In Green Bay, he molded Favre without stifling his spirit. In Seattle, he transformed Hasselbeck from a practice squad rookie, a former sixth-round pick from Boston College, into the NFC's Pro Bowl starter.

Not bad for a guy whose first three coaching jobs were in high school.

"I thought I was going to be a high school history teacher and coach and enjoy it for the rest of my life," Holmgren said. "I never aspired to do this."

In 14 seasons as a head coach, Holmgren is 149-94, including 10 playoff appearances. From 1992-98 he revived one of the league's most storied franchises by taking Green Bay to two Super Bowls, winning one. Holmgren left the Packers because they would not add general manager to his title.

In Seattle, a previously irrelevant franchise, the dual role produced little results. After missing the playoffs for a third straight season in 2002, he was asked to relinquish the GM duties and focus on coaching.

"I had a choice to make at that time, whether I was going to ride off into the sunset and go sit on the beach and ride my motorcycle or accept the situation for what it was and keep coaching the football team," he said. "As long as they still wanted me to coach the football team, I wanted to do that.

"I am a coach."

Owner Paul Allen stuck with Holmgren and this season hired former Bucs executive Tim Ruskell as president of football operations, responsible for personnel decisions. A few problem players were eliminated and several high-character players, including former Bucs Joe Jurevicius and Chartric Darby, were added.

Holmgren recognized the winning chemistry.

"You could tell there was a difference in training camp," Alexander said. "He was going to be different, our whole team was going to be different. This year's been fun more than just business. You never want to play a football season where it's just business."

Rather than overwork a talented team, Holmgren eased off at times, even giving players the entire bye week off. In the waning minutes of the NFC Championship Game, he let the assistant coaches in the press box come to the sideline to enjoy the atmosphere.

"I wouldn't usually say yes to that, but I'm glad I did," Holmgren said. "It was very special."

Now, rather than berate a player for making a mistake at practice, disrupting the mood and productivity, he takes a calmer approach.

"In the past, he would really jump your case," said guard Chris Gray, a 13-year veteran in his eighth season with Seattle. "This year, if something happens or someone makes a mistake, he comes up to you and says, "You know what you did wrong, right? Well, fix it!' "

At the Super Bowl, Holmgren is heeding his own words. He vowed not to repeat mistakes he made in his last Super Bowl appearance, when Green Bay failed to play its best in a loss to Denver. Eight years ago, he made the Packers practice on Media Day.

"Now, I am older and I have a better sense of how hard it is to get here," Holmgren said. "I told the players that they've accomplished quite a bit already."

[Last modified February 4, 2006, 00:32:20]